The early 2000s was prime time for Pop/R&B music, with the likes of JoJo, Rihanna and Chris Brown breaking into the music scene.

Amid all the hype surrounding R&B music, a young Swedish musician shot to No. 1 in his country's Singles Chart with the first single Step Up from his second album.

Darin was only 18 back then in 2005. While Step Up also made it to the top of the charts in a neighbouring country, Finland, it did not catapult him to worldwide fame.

Fast forward 11 years, and Darin, now 28, now has seven albums under his belt, one of them certified Platinum and five certified Gold in Sweden.

Six albums peaked at No. 1 on the Swedish Album charts as well, including his first commercial album, The Anthem, which was recorded in 2004, after he won second place in Idol, the Swedish version of the Idols franchise.

He was in Singapore recently to promote his single F Your Love, as part of his first promotional tour in Asia, after signing a deal with Sony Music last December to release music in Asia and the Middle East.

It is not his first time in Singapore, though. He was here last year to film the music video for his song Nobody Knows.

The video was filmed throughout various locations here, including Haji Lane and the rooftop of the Swissotel The Stamford.

This time, Darin was in Singapore for only one day, compared to the four days he spent here in 2015, he told The New Paper.

The TNP office was his last stop, after an entire day of press interviews.

In the short half hour he spent in our office earlier this month, we talked about inspirations, potential collaborations, and gave him the ultimate Singapore drink experience, where he discovered his love for milo.

How has Singapore been for you in the past few visits?

D: It's been great. The first time I saw it was when I shot the video for Nobody Knows. I got to explore the city and see a lot of cool places, got to know the city a little bit, which was nice.

You've been in the music industry for a long time now. Do you ever feel like you're too old?

D: I mean, I felt like I was an adult back then, but now that I think about it, I was so young when I started. Looking back, you always learn more. I'm still learning, still trying to improve, and I'm inspired by everything that happens.

Would you like to collaborate with any Asian artists?

D: Definitely. I don't have anything planned right now, but I would definitely love to collaborate with artists from here.

What inspired the video for your latest single "F Your Love"?

D: I just wanted something simple, where I could just perform and express the feeling of the song. The video director, James Velasquez, did a really good job with that, because it's simple, but at the same time, it was very good for the song. It fits with the lyrics, I think.